the banker; but it seems Smedburg is a friend of Meyer's, and hecalled him hard! It was a silly ass thing to do," protested thepurser. "Everybody knows Meyer hasn't a brother, and if he hadn'tmade THAT break he might have got away with the other one. Butnow this Smedburg is going to wireless ahead to Mr. Meyer and tothe police."

"Has he no other way of spending his money?" I asked.

"He's a confounded nuisance!" growled the purser. "He wants toshow us he knows Adolph Meyer; wants to put Meyer under anobligation. It means a scene on the wharf, and newspaper talk;and," he added with disgust, "these smoking-room rows neverhelped any line."

I went in search of Talbot; partly because I knew he was on theverge of a collapse, partly, as I frankly admitted to myself,because I was sorry the young man had come to grief. I searchedthe snow-swept decks, and then, after threading my way throughfaintly lit tunnels, I knocked at his cabin. The sound of hisvoice gave me a distinct feeling of relief. But he would notadmit me. Through the closed door he declared he was "all right,"wanted no medical advice, and asked only to resume the sleep heclaimed I had broken. I left him, not without uneasiness, and thenext morning the sight of him still in the flesh was a genuinethrill. I found him walking the deck carrying himselfnonchalantly and trying to appear unconscious of theglances--amused, contemptuous, hostile--that were turned towardhim. He would have passed me without speaking, but I took his armand led him to the rail. We had long passed quarantine and aconvoy of tugs were butting us into the dock.

The boy wanted me to think him unconcerned, but beneath theflippancy I saw the nerves jerking. Then quite simply he began totell me. He spoke in a low, even monotone, dispassionately, asthough for him the incident no longer was of interest.

"They were watching me," he said. "But I knew they were, andbesides, no matter how close they watched I could have done whatthey said I did and they'd never have seen it. But I didn't."

My scepticism must have been obvious, for he shook his head.

"I didn't!" he repeated stubbornly. "I didn't have to! I wasplaying in luck--wonderful luck--sheer, dumb luck. I couldn'tHELP winning. But because I was winning and because they werewatching, I was careful not to win on my own deal. I laid down,or played to lose. It was the cards they GAVE me I won with. Andwhen they jumped me I told 'em that. I could have proved it ifthey'd listened. But they were all up in the air, shouting andspitting at me. They believed what they wanted to believe; theydidn't want the facts."

It may have been credulous of me, but I felt the boy was tellingthe truth, and I was deeply sorry he had not stuck to it. So,rather harshly, I said:

"They didn't want you to tell them you were a brother to AdolphMeyer, either. Why did you think you could get away with anythinglike that?"

Talbot did not answer.

"Why?" I insisted.

The boy laughed impudently.

"How the devil was I to know he hadn't a brother?" he protested."It was a good name, and he's a Jew, and two of the six who werein the game are Jews. You know how they stick together. I thoughtthey might stick by me."

"But you," I retorted impatiently, "are not a Jew!"

"I am not," said Talbot, "but I've often SAID I was. It'shelped--lots of times. If I'd told you my name was Cohen, orSelinsky, or Meyer, instead of Craig Talbot, YOU'D have thoughtI was a Jew." He smiled and turned his face toward me. As thoughfurnishing a description for the police, he began to enumerate:

He drew a quick breath of relief. As though a burden had beenlifted, his shoulders straightened.

And then suddenly, harshly, in open panic, he exclaimed aloud:

"Look!" he whispered. "There, at the end of the wharf--the littleJew in furs!"

I followed the direction of his eyes. Below us on the dock,protected by two obvious members of the strong-arm squad, thegreat banker, philanthropist, and Hebrew, Adolph Meyer, waswaiting.

We were so close that I could read his face. It was stern, set;the face of a man intent upon his duty, unrelenting. Withoutquestion, of a bad business Mr. Smedburg had made the worst. Iturned to speak to Talbot and found him gone.

His silent slipping away filled me with alarm. I fought against agrowing fear. How many minutes I searched for him I do not know.It seemed many hours. His cabin, where first I sought him, wasempty and dismantled, and by that I was reminded that if for anydesperate purpose Talbot were seeking to conceal himself therenow were hundreds of other empty, dismantled cabins in which hemight hide. To my inquiries no one gave heed. In the confusion ofdeparture no one had observed him; no one was in a humor to seekhim out; the passengers were pressing to the gangway, thestewards concerned only in counting their tips. From deck todeck, down lane after lane of the great floating village, Iraced blindly, peering into half-opened doors, pushing throughgroups of men, pursuing some one in the distance who appeared tobe the man I sought, only to find he was unknown to me. When Ireturned to the gangway the last of the passengers was leavingit.

I was about to follow to seek for Talbot in the customs shed whena white-faced steward touched my sleeve. Before he spoke his looktold me why I was wanted.

"The ship's surgeon, sir," he stammered, "asks you please tohurry to the sick-bay. A passenger has shot himself!"

On the bed, propped up by pillows, young Talbot, with glazed,shocked eyes, stared at me. His shirt had been cut away; hischest lay bare. Against his left shoulder the doctor pressed atiny sponge which quickly darkened.

I must have exclaimed aloud, for the doctor turned his eyes.

"It was HE sent for you," he said, "but he doesn't need you.Fortunately, he's a damned bad shot!"

The boy's eyes opened wearily; before we could prevent it hespoke.

"I was so tired," he whispered. "Always moving me on. I was so tired!"

Behind me came heavy footsteps, and though with my arm I tried tobar them out, the two detectives pushed into the doorway. Theyshoved me to one side and through the passage made for him camethe Jew in the sable coat, Mr. Adolph Meyer.

For an instant the little great man stood with wide, owl-likeeyes, staring at the face on the pillow.

Then he sank softly to his knees. In both his hands he caught thehand of the card-sharp.